Guest Post: How to Write an Engaging News Story

by
Brittany Lyons

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Every day we read news stories and probably have no idea how much work goes into them. Short bulletins are somewhat easier to write as they relate the facts about an earthquake or other disaster and just give the details. Yet, what about articles that relay information that is not so interesting or exciting in nature? What if the article is bigger than just a few sentences of quick facts and must depend upon the skills and experience of the writer to be both interesting and informative? You are about to see how there is more to an engaging news story than meets the eye.

As many advanced writers and PhDs will tell you, the foundation of a good news story relies upon answering the questions: who, what, where, when, why and how. Thus, in order ensure that all of these elements make it into an article, beginning writers may want to follow these tips from John Hopkins University.

However, a good story is also informative and concise. Consider the sentence: “Frank Burns walked seven miles on foot to the Police Station in Springfield yesterday after his car was stolen at gun point by two criminals.” This brief description provides you with all the facts of Frank Burns case without adding in any extraneous information. Reading your local newspaper will provide many examples of how to write in a similar manner, so you can convey basic information to readers.

Although it is important for a story to contain the facts, the piece must also be interesting if you want to attract readers. One technique for grabbing the interest of readers is by structuring an article using the “inverted pyramid” format. When using the inverted pyramid, a writer starts out with the most important aspects of the story, followed by less important details and ends with the least significant information. This structure keeps the “attention-getter” of the piece located near the beginning, where it can draw readers in, and places the less important facts that might cause readers to lose interest at the end of the article. The Virginia Commonwealth University points out that the one disadvantage of this style is that it discourages good writing. Since the least important information is at the end of the article, it will often end abruptly, which is often considered inelegant by good story writers.

In addition to the overall structure of the piece, good writers should also pay attention to some general rules involving content. For example, readers are often interested in people, so it is recommended that stories center around someone who is relatable. It is equally important for writers to have an “angle” when developing a piece. According to the Journalist’s Resource, having an angle will keep readers engaged and prevent the story from becoming too dry and fact-filled. Readers are generally not interested in basic numbers and cold, factual information. Thus, writers should make the article more interesting by using a “hook” to stimulate curiosity, which will in turn make people want to share it with others.

Another aspect of writing a good newspaper story involves keeping common mistakes to a minimum. If your writing style is too flowery, it can be distracting to the reader. Besides, using metaphors and colorful phrases is not appropriate when describing unfortunate events, such as car accidents. Likewise, factual inaccuracies such as a wrong “where” or “when” are not taken lightly. This is why newspapers publish corrections so they can apologize for mistakes and set the record straight.

Writers should also strive to avoid spelling and grammar errors. These are the worst type of mistakes a writer can make, as they not only make the article hard to read, but also cause readers to wonder about the level of care and professionalism that went into the publication. When a number of mistakes are found on a website or in a newspaper, readers lose trust in the publication and often turn to another source for information, resulting in a loss of sales. However if you keep your work free from these mistakes and heed the advice above, you might have a chance at the big leagues.

Writers that create informative and compelling news stories on a consistent basis don’t do so by accident. It takes knowledge, skill and experience to write a good news story and that doesn’t come over night. If you wish to work for a newspaper, you will be able to find many resources for information, but you must practice in order to refine your skills. If you a determined, you will be able to improve your work as the weeks and months go by, and ultimately may be able to offer your work to local papers and news sites. Examining the differences between a well written newspaper story and one that was just thrown together, makes the writer appreciate just how skilled they must be to be considered a great writer.

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Bio: Brittany Lyons aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

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